What is Boolean search on LinkedIn?

Boolean search uses five operators — AND, OR, NOT, quotation marks, and parentheses — to match job titles and keywords precisely. For example, ("head of marketing" OR "CMO" OR "VP marketing") matches any of those titles. It's the way to catch every variation of a role instead of relying on LinkedIn to guess.

Do I have to write Boolean strings myself in Conextly?

No. You can describe the role in plain language and Conextly builds the Boolean string for you, then shows it so you can adjust it. Boolean is available when you want precise control, but it's never required to run a search.

Which field should I use Boolean on?

The title field, mainly. Job titles are inconsistent — the person you want might be "Head of Growth," "Growth Lead," or "VP, Growth Marketing" — so an OR group of synonyms catches all the variants. Combine the Boolean title with structured filters like location and company size for tight targeting.

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Writing Boolean Searches

September 4, 2026

Boolean search on LinkedIn, made simple — the five operators, copy-paste title strings for common roles, and how Conextly lets you use Boolean without memorizing the syntax.

Boolean search is how you match job titles precisely instead of hoping LinkedIn guesses right. It looks technical; it's really just five words. This page covers the operators and gives you strings you can paste straight into Conextly.

The five operators

AND — both terms must appear. marketing AND director matches people with both words in their title.
OR — either term. CEO OR founder OR "managing director" matches any of them. Put OR groups in parentheses.
NOT — excludes a term. sales NOT assistant drops the junior matches.
" " (quotes) — an exact phrase. "head of growth" matches that phrase, not "head" and "growth" scattered around the title.
( ) (parentheses) — group terms so the logic reads the way you mean. (CMO OR "VP marketing") AND SaaS.

That's the whole language. Ninety percent of good title searches are an OR group of synonyms, sometimes with a NOT to trim the noise.

Copy-paste strings for common roles

Founders & CEOs ("founder" OR "co-founder" OR "CEO" OR "chief executive")

Marketing leaders ("CMO" OR "VP marketing" OR "head of marketing" OR "marketing director")

Sales leaders ("VP sales" OR "head of sales" OR "sales director" OR "CRO")

HR & people ("CHRO" OR "head of people" OR "VP HR" OR "people operations" OR "talent acquisition")

Engineering leaders ("CTO" OR "VP engineering" OR "head of engineering" OR "engineering director")

Recruiters ("recruiter" OR "talent acquisition" OR "technical recruiter") NOT ("assistant")

Founders, excluding agencies ("founder" OR "co-founder") NOT ("agency" OR "consultant" OR "freelance")

Adjust the terms to your market and drop them into the title field in Find.

Where Boolean applies

Boolean is most powerful on the title field, because job titles are messy and inconsistent — the person you want might be "Head of Growth," "Growth Lead," or "VP, Growth Marketing." An OR group catches all three. You can combine a Boolean title with the structured filters (location, company size, industry) for tight targeting. See the Search Filters Reference.

Tips that save you time

Start broad, then add NOT. Run the OR group first, see what junk comes back, and exclude it. It's easier than guessing every exclusion up front.
Quote multi-word titles. "head of sales" behaves very differently from head of sales without quotes.
Don't over-engineer. Three or four synonyms usually cover a role. A twelve-term monster string is a sign the search should be split into two.

You don't have to memorize any of this

Describe the role in plain language in Find and Conextly builds the Boolean for you — then shows you the string so you can tweak it. Boolean is there when you want precision, not a tax you have to pay to search.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boolean search on LinkedIn?: Boolean search uses five operators — AND, OR, NOT, quotation marks, and parentheses — to match job titles and keywords precisely. For example, ("head of marketing" OR "CMO" OR "VP marketing") matches any of those titles. It's the way to catch every variation of a role instead of relying on LinkedIn to guess.
Do I have to write Boolean strings myself in Conextly?: No. You can describe the role in plain language and Conextly builds the Boolean string for you, then shows it so you can adjust it. Boolean is available when you want precise control, but it's never required to run a search.
Which field should I use Boolean on?: The title field, mainly. Job titles are inconsistent — the person you want might be "Head of Growth," "Growth Lead," or "VP, Growth Marketing" — so an OR group of synonyms catches all the variants. Combine the Boolean title with structured filters like location and company size for tight targeting.

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